Cloutier bill moving forward

Friday

Mar 28, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Jan Gottesman MANAGING EDITOR

CLINTON — What started as an effort by grieving parents has gained traction in the Statehouse.

The Committee on Transportation has voted favorably on a bill, the brainchild of Sharon and John Cloutier, which would put emergency contact information in Registry files so families can be notified in time of crisis.

It is heartache the Cloutiers know firsthand.

When Joshua Cloutier was wheeled into an emergency room 11 years ago, he spent the first three hours alone. At age 20, he was over the age that police would automatically notify his parents. Fortunately, one of his passengers was under 18, and the parents of that person called the Cloutiers.

Since then, the Cloutiers have been on a quest to get that information in a place available to emergency personnel.

Although Joshua died six days later, in April 2003, never having woken from his coma, his mother still tears up when she thinks about her son, alone, for three hours.

"He belonged to someone; he belonged to me," Sharon Cloutier said.

Last week, after years of collecting signatures and trying to get legislators to pay attention, the Cloutiers finally saw some progress.

"We are very excited, but we know it still has a long way to go," Cloutier said.

Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. (D-Clinton) explained that the bill needs to go to the floor of the House, then the Senate, for debate and votes, before it can go to the governor to be signed.

"March 19 is the deadline for bills we say we want to try to get done," Naughton said. "It is a common-sense bill. I don't anticipate any severe opposition."

The biggest enemy could be time.

"Now, we are working against the clock," Naughton said.

While he said the bill has his full support, he said people in other districts can contact their representatives and their senators to urge passage of the bill.

"You can also contact the speaker's office (Robert DeLeo) to let him know this is a priority," Naughton said. The speaker's email is: Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov.

"We will be down there as a family when the governor signs this bill," Sharon said. "I know we still have a long way to go. But the support from friends and family and strangers is overwhelming to me."

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